Breaking-in machine for shoes



July 16, 1935. E. J. BLISS BREAKING-IN MACHINE FOR SHOES Filed July 26, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l aiiorfiey July 16, 1935. E, J. BLISS BREAKING-IN MACHINE FOR SHOES Filed July 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invewfior MM Patented July 16, 1935 PATENT- OFFICE BREAKING-IN MACHINE FOR sHoEs Elmer J. Boston, Mass., assignor toRegal Shoe Company, WhitmamMa ss a. corporation of Massachusetts Application July 26, 1932, Serial No. 624,723

Claims.

This invention relates tothe breaking-in of shoes for the purpose of giving increased flexibility and comfort to the wearer of a pair of new shoes selected by a customer at a shoe store.

While it is desirable that shoes carried in stock for sale toconsurners should present a smooth unbroken appearance, yet the breakingin of a pair of shoes by suitable apparatus at the shoe store after the customer has made his selection, if properly done, can very largely eliminate the discomfort incident to the wearing of new shoes until they are broken in by actual wear.

The present improvement is intended to provide a simple and efiective mechanism readily adapted for use in retail shoe storesby which this breaking-in of the shoes can be quickly effected and the invention comprises a construction and arrangement embracing fixed shoe holding means for holding the rear part of the shoe rigidly in place and a forwardly disposed oscillatory plate iulcrumed beneath the ball joint line of the forepart of the shoe, combined with actuating means for flexing or bending the toe portion of the shoe forwardly of the ball joint a sufiicient number of times to render the sole and forepart of the shoe flexible, while at the same time provision is made for producing a variable tension creasing efiect upon the upper as the iorepart is flexed to soften and render flexible that portion of the upper in which wrinkles would be formed when the wearer of the shoe is walking.

This and other features of the invention will be particularly described in the following specifl cation and will be defined in the claims annexed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred form of construction embodying the principles of this invention, in which I Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a duplex machine for flexing simultaneously both shoes of a selected pair.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of the creasing member.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing in plan the oscillatory plates that flex the forepart of each of the shoes and their attachment to the fixed portion of the'standard or frame of the machine.

In the practice of the invention, the shoe a has an inserted last block b Whose forepart is hingedly connected to the rear part at substantially the transverse ball line of the shoe. As shown in Fig. 1, the forepart b of the last is transversely grooved immediately forward of the "ball line axis to facilitate the creasing of the upper at this point.

The machine'itself is -provided with a base I from which extends upwardly an upright or standard 2, on which is mounted a horizontal fixed plate or platform 3 upon which the shoe rests. From the sides of this platform about opposite the breast line of the heel of an inserted shoe is provided an upright yoke comprising verticalarms 4 and a cross connecting member i provided with a threaded vertical bore, in which ismounted a vertical clamping screw 5. The shoes to be broken in are inserted on this support 3 in position so that the ball line of the shoe or the corresponding hinge line of the last is in approximately vertical alignment with the axis of the flexing plate, now to be described. To prevent rearward displacement of the shoe when clamped in proper position for breaking-in I have also provided an adjustable stop member 5 slidable in a longitudinal slot formed in the rear end of theplate 3 and adjustably positioned therein by means of an adjusting screw passing through'a bored lug 5 projecting downwardly from said stop member. When the shoes are properly positioned for the breaking-in operation, the stop members 6 are adjusted to stop position against the rear of the heel to aid the clamping-screw 5, which engages the main block b of the last in preventing displacement. The oscillatory plate 9 is fulcrurned on the transverse fulcral rod 8, which passes through a rearward transversely bored hinge lug so as to permit the rocking of the plate upwardly and back bysuitable actuating means and thereby produce flexing of the forepart of the shoe for such length of time as may be desired.

' Any suitable means may be provided for flexing the oscillating plates of themachine and I have shown for this purpose a small motor M connected by suitable reducing gearing i3, 18 E3 and I3 to the crank shaft l2, which carries at its opposite ends oppositely disposed cranks 12 which are operatively connected with the respective plates 9 by means of connecting links l I having pivotal connection with lugs 9 on the bottom of the respective plates and with the respective crank elements !2**. These cranks W are placed in opposition to each other so that one plate is flexing one of the pair of shoes upward while the other plate is returning from flexing to normal position, so that the two plates work in alternation, thus requiring less application of power than would be the case if both were actuated simultaneously.

At i5 is arranged a counter operatively connected with one of the oscillating plates by means of pivotal links 56, so that each oscillation is registered on the counter and the attendant is informed of the number of flexes imparted to the shoes. I

The means for creasing the upper in front of the instep comprises a transverse creasing member 24 provided witha pair of wedge-shaped blades 2 h on its underside and having at its opposite ends perforations permitting it to slide, upon the parallel vertical guide rods 22, which are connected at their bottomiends by atransverse rod 2! on which are mounted anti-friction rollers 23. These rollers engage the underside of a forward extension 2!! of the support 3, while the guide rods 22 slide through bored guide members 26 carriedby the opposite sides of each flexing plate 9. Compression springs 25 abutting against adjustable thrust nutson the upper ends of the guide rods 22 serve to impose a yielding pressure upon the creasing member which tends to force the creasing member downagainst the shoe upper and press the shoe upper into the transverse grooves formed 'in the forepart b of the last. As each rocking plate 9 swings upward the guide rods of the creasing mechanism, which have sliding engagement with the tubular guides 26, participate in the swinging movement, so that their lower ends are rocked forwardly while held against participating in the upward movement of the shoe iorepart by the engagement between the whereas and the underside of the fixed mem- When the rocker plate 8 is in its lowermost position the pressure of the creasing mem ber 26 on the'upper is at its minimum, but as the flexing plate moves upward and forces the forepart of the shoe upward, this tension is increased,

, the tension varying with the amount of the rock a construction a fixed shoe supporting member underneath the middle and heel portion of the shoe, means for clamping the middle and rearward portions of the shoe to said fixed supporting member, said means embracing a yoke extending upwardly from the supporting member to overhang the medial portion of the shoe, a vertically adjustable clamping screw mounted in said yoke, and a last block occupying the medial and rearward portions of the shoe arranged to receive at its middle portion the downward thrust of said .ball joint line of the shoe and upper, upper creas ing means comprising a creasing member, means for exerting pressure upon said creasing member with increasing force as the forepart of the, shoe is flexed upwardly.

'3. A shoe breaking-in device embracing in its construction means for rigidly holding that portion of the shoe rearwardly of the ball line in fixed position, a last inserted in the shoe and having a pivotally connected iorepart hinged at approximately the ball joint line of the shoe, said fortpart being transverseiy grooved across its top immediately forwardly of the ball joint/line,

a creasing memberextending transversely across the shoe in' position to subtend the creasing grooves in said last forep'art, and tensioning means for exerting increasing pressure upon said creasing member when the forepart, of the last and shoe are rocked'upwardly, and means for upwardly rocking the foreparts of the shoe and of the last; V j

4. A shoe breaking-in device embracing inits construction'a last comprising a main block occupying the medial and rear portions of the shoe, means for clamping said last block and shoe firmly against an underneath fixed support, said last block being provided at its forward end with a forepart pivotally connected at approximately the transverse ball joint line of the shoe, a rocker plate'pivoted adjacent to thehinged axis of the forepart of the last, means for rocking said plate on its axis to flex the forepart of the shoe upwardly, means for creasing the upper comprising a transverse creasing member extending over the top of the shoe immediately forward of the ball joint line, guide rods on which said creasing member is pivotally mounted, said guide rods being guided by said rocker plate to preserve a substantially perpendicular relation thereto and exerting, a yielding pressure against said creasing member which is increased by the upward movement of the shoe forepart.

5. In a shoe breaking-in machine the'combination with means for holding the middle and rear portions of a shoe in fixed position, of means for'repeatedly flexing the forepart of the shoe up wardly in relation to the portions so fixedly held, and transverse creasing members located above the forepart and cooperatively associated with the forepart-flexing means to produce augmented creasing pressure of the creasing members upon the forepart as the forepart is flexed upwardly.

' ELMER J. BLISS. 

